Transplant Trial Watch

Nudging the nudger: Performance feedback and organ donor registrations.

House, J., et al.

Journal of Health Economics 2024; 97: 102914.


Aims
This study aimed to investigate the influence of providing customer service representatives (CSRs) with repeated performance feedback on organ donor registration rates.

Interventions
CSRs were randomised to three different conditions: a standard “reminder” (R) condition, an “individual feedback” (IF) condition, and a “regional benchmark” (RB) condition.

Participants
694 CSRs

Outcomes
The main outcome of interest was the rate of organ donor sign-ups.

Follow-up
N/A

CET Conclusions
The paper investigates the role of potential intermediaries (customer service representatives) in organ donor registration. Customer service representatives were given information to share, and importantly, feedback about their performance 3 times per year, which consisted of organ donor signup rates. Customer service representatives receive a fixed salary and do not earn commissions for the transactions they process. To avoid information spillover, groups were randomised by office. The addition of a reminder email improved organ donor registrations amongs people with customer service contact, adding perfomance feedback to the customer service representatives, with or without a reference benchmark was more effective. Repeated interventions had an additional effect, and a persisting effect.

Jadad score
1

Data analysis
Per protocol analysis

Allocation concealment
No

Trial registration
AEA RCT Registry - 0001974

Funding source
Non-industry funded